HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC - Public Testimony by Kurtis Hall - 3/11
Machelle Hill
From:Peggy Gardner
Sent:Tuesday, March 01, 2016 2:26 PM
To:Kurtis Hall; Jaycee Holman; Jacy Jones; Machelle Hill; Joshua Beach
Cc:mayortammy; Anne Little Roberts; Genesis Milam; Joe Borton; Keith Bird; Luke Cavener;
Ty Palmer
Subject:RE: Proposed Apartment Complex, Southwest Corner of Linder and Chinden
Dear Mr. Hall:
Your email has been received by the Mayor’s Office. We appreciate you contacting us to let us know of your concerns
for the proposed changes to development plan for the Knighthill project. I will forward your comments to our City Clerk
for the record and to be included in the packet the Mayor and Council members receive for the public hearing. Once an
application is made, Mayor and Council are only able to make comments during the public hearing.
I have copied Josh Beach, the staff member assigned to this project. He will be able to answer any questions you may
have regarding the Modification of the Development Agreement or the process.
Thank you for your comments and being part of the public process.
Peggy Gardner
Administrative Assistant to
Mayor Tammy de Weerd
City of Meridian
33 E Broadway Avenue
Meridian, ID 83642
Phone 208 489-0529
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From: Kurtis Hall [mailto:flintknap@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, February 29, 2016 9:53 PM
To: mayortammy
Subject: Proposed Apartment Complex, Southwest Corner of Linder and Chinden
Dear Mayor DeWeerd and Meridian City Council,
Thank you for all you do for the City of Meridian. I am sure that while it is rewarding standing in the gap for
our city, that there are many days when you wonder why you are fighting the battles you do and dealing with
the feedback that comes with the job. Thank you for considering all the details on our behalf and making the
tough decisions that benefit the many and not the few.
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Thank you also, for considering the input of residents in your decisions. I would like to add my input regarding
the proposed apartment complex on the southwest corner of Linder and Chinden. I have lived in this
neighborhood of Meridian for 11 years now, first in the Verona section of Bridgetower and for the last nine
years in the Lochsa Falls subdivision. When we bought our current home, we loved that we could be close to
the city and yet not surrounded by it. Now the city has moved out and around us. That's not necessarily a bad
thing but it does bring some fresh issues and challenges.
You have heard all the comments regarding the housing devaluation that typically occurs when multi-family
housing is added to single dwelling neighborhoods. You know that the city of Meridian is being challenged in
other resources – our schools are crowded, our roads are congested, and public safety services are stretched thin
(which does not benefit our community, as our numbers increase and so does crime; particularly property
crime). As a former Idaho law-enforcement officer, I have seen firsthand the increase in property crime that
tends to accompany an increase in high-density housing. While growth might be good for the short-term in the
case of developers and builders, the long term effects can be devastating to a community (as some of our
neighboring cities have seen), and in my opinion do not justify the increase in tax revenue. I see little benefit to
adding more multi-family housing to this area of Meridian at this time. It would simply be adding numbers to an
area that has more than it can frankly handle right now. I think that the increase in tax revenue would be offset
by the increase in traffic incidents and the potential increase in criminal activity, to say nothing of other
challenges that come with multi-family housing (additional crowding in schools, additional burden on other
public services, and so on). Saying that, I realize that we do not have the issues currently that bigger cities have,
but they could easily develop in a short time without careful consideration.
I very much want Meridian to remain the top city to live in the United States. I believe that is your desire as
well. That will require each of you to have a vision that goes even beyond your tenure at the City Council. I
hope that you look beyond the temporary financial impact of decisions to the greater socioeconomic picture,
especially where city development is concerned. I would ask you to decide against granting a special
dispensation for this proposed multi-family housing complex.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Kurtis Hall
2378 W. Grand Teton Dr.
Meridian, ID 83646